Silicon Valley exporter sentenced to prison

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Silicon Valley electronics exporter was sentenced to a little more than a year in prison for selling sensitive technology to China without a license.

Fu-Tain Lu had was also ordered on Monday to pay a $5,000 fine and forfeit $136,000 worth of sensitive electronics. The 65-year-old Lu had pleaded guilty to one felony charge in November, admitting he sold microwave amplifiers to a Chinese company. U.S. companies are required to get the permission of the Department of Commerce before selling and shipping amplifiers to China.

The U.S. government restricts the sale of some technologies if they are for military use. The Justice Department also said Lu instructed employees to lie about where the products were going.